Knee injury sidelines Penguins assistant coach Todd Reirden
Injuries and illness have pockmarked the Penguins roster of players all season.
The coaching staff hasn’t escaped that misfortune either.
Assistant coach Todd Reirden, who oversees the team’s defensemen as well as the power play, will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a knee injury during the All-Star break.
The ailment will require surgery that will be performed Monday.
Coach Mike Sullivan indicated Reirden suffered the injury while shoveling snow.
“The nature of the injury dictates the timing of addressing it right away,” Sullivan said. “He had reiterated to all of us that he wanted to put it off until the end of the season, but that’s not possible by the recommendations of our doctors. He’s going to have surgery on Monday. He’s going to be away from the team for a little bit. But we’re going to keep him engaged as best we can.”
Reirden will be able to work somewhat remotely, but some of his duties on the ice during practices or behind the bench during games will be spread out between Sullivan, assistant coach Mike Vellucci, skating and skills development coach Ty Hennes and player development staffer Matt Cullen, who primarily works remotely from his home in Minnesota.
Sullivan indicated Vellucci, who oversees the forwards and penalty kill, will absorb Reirden’s duties with the defense. Cullen will take on pre-scouting opponents for the team’s power play.
“Todd’s a big part of our coaching staff, and he does a lot for our group,” Sullivan said. “He’s done a terrific job with our power play and just getting our group on the same page and implementing or installing a foundation or a scheme that I think our group is very familiar with at this point. It’s just our challenge to try to sustain that standard. We’ll divide and conquer as a coaching staff as far as all of our own personal workflows. We all have responsibilities with respect to the different aspects of our team game that we’re all responsible for. We’ll have to pick up some slack with respect to some of the stuff, the important stuff that Todd does.
“As soon as he’s capable, we’re going to keep Todd engaged, even if it’s remotely through our computers and (video conferences) and things of that nature. He’s still going to do a lot of things behind the scenes even though he’s not going to be visible (to media). He’s done such a great job with our power play, in particular. The rest of us are so familiar with the process and the scheme and things of that nature. … Matt Cullen is going to come in on Monday. That will give us another coach as far as being on the ice with some of the things that our assistant coaches do on the ice with some of the things that our assistant coaches do with our players throughout the course of the practice.”
Sullivan still rooting for United States
Sullivan did not stay up late Friday/early Saturday to watch the U.S. men’s team claim a 4-2 win against rival Canada at the Olympics in Beijing. After all, he had to be up to conduct practice for the Penguins on Saturday in Cranberry.
But the triumph did strike a personal note for Sullivan as he was slated to be the U.S. coach before the NHL and NHL Players’ Association opted to pull out of participating in the Olympics in December because of covid-19 related concerns.
Sullivan’s friend, former New York Rangers coach David Quinn, is serving as the U.S. head coach. Additionally, Penguins director of player development Scott Young is an assistant coach on the team’s staff.
Instead of NHL stars, the roster is a blend of veterans playing in other professional leagues and unsigned prospects.
“I was thrilled that the (United States) won,” Sullivan said. “I wouldn’t say it’s bittersweet, no, because I’m American, first and foremost, and I root for the Americans. Would it have been a privilege to be a part of an Olympic experience? Without a doubt. Was I looking forward to that opportunity to compete at the Olympics with America’s best? Without a doubt. All of us that were anticipating that opportunity are all disappointed. But it is what it is. We can’t control it.
“David Quinn is a great coach. He’s got a great staff. And they have good young players that are the next generation of (NHLers) for the most part. We’re rooting for them. That’s how I look at it. I’m rooting for those guys.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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